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Physiological, aerodynamic and geometric constraints of flapping account for bird gaits, and bounding and flap-gliding flight strategies (2016)
Journal Article
Usherwood, J. R. (2016). Physiological, aerodynamic and geometric constraints of flapping account for bird gaits, and bounding and flap-gliding flight strategies. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 408, 42-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.07.003

Aerodynamically economical flight is steady and level. The high-amplitude flapping and bounding flight style of many small birds departs considerably from any aerodynamic or purely mechanical optimum. Further, many large birds adopt a flap-glide flig... Read More about Physiological, aerodynamic and geometric constraints of flapping account for bird gaits, and bounding and flap-gliding flight strategies.

Children and adults minimise activated muscle volume by selecting gait parameters that balance gross mechanical power and work demands (2015)
Journal Article
Hubel, T. Y., & Usherwood, J. R. (2015). Children and adults minimise activated muscle volume by selecting gait parameters that balance gross mechanical power and work demands. Journal of Experimental Biology, 218(PT 18), 2830-2839. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.122135

Terrestrial locomotion on legs is energetically expensive. Compared with cycling, or with locomotion in swimming or flying animals, walking and running are highly uneconomical. Legged gaits that minimise mechanical work have previously been identifie... Read More about Children and adults minimise activated muscle volume by selecting gait parameters that balance gross mechanical power and work demands.

Identification of mouse gaits using a novel force-sensing exercise wheel (2015)
Journal Article
Smith, B. J. H., Cullingford, L., & Usherwood, J. R. (2015). Identification of mouse gaits using a novel force-sensing exercise wheel. Journal of Applied Physiology, 119(6), 704-718. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.01014.2014

The gaits that animals use can provide information on neurological and musculoskeletal disorders, as well as the biomechanics of locomotion. Mice are a common research model in many fields; however, there is no consensus in the literature on how (and... Read More about Identification of mouse gaits using a novel force-sensing exercise wheel.

Matching times of leading and following suggest cooperation through direct reciprocity during V-formation flight in ibis (2015)
Journal Article
Voelkl, B., Portugal, S. J., Unsoeld, M., Usherwood, J. R., Wilson, A. M., & Fritz, J. (2015). Matching times of leading and following suggest cooperation through direct reciprocity during V-formation flight in ibis. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1413589112

One conspicuous feature of several larger bird species is their annual migration in V-shaped or echelon formation. When birds are flying in these formations, energy savings can be achieved by using the aerodynamic up-wash produced by the preceding bi... Read More about Matching times of leading and following suggest cooperation through direct reciprocity during V-formation flight in ibis.

Upwash exploitation and downwash avoidance by flap phasing in ibis formation flight (2014)
Journal Article
Portugal, S. J., Hubel, T. Y., Fritz, J., Heese, S., Trobe, D., Voelkl, B., …Usherwood, J. R. (2014). Upwash exploitation and downwash avoidance by flap phasing in ibis formation flight. Nature, 505(7483), 399-+. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12939

Many species travel in highly organized groups. The most quoted function of these configurations is to reduce energy expenditure and enhance locomotor performance of individuals in the assemblage. The distinctive V formation of bird flocks has long i... Read More about Upwash exploitation and downwash avoidance by flap phasing in ibis formation flight.

Vaulting mechanics successfully predict decrease in walk-run transition speed with incline (2013)
Journal Article
Hubel, T. Y., & Usherwood, J. R. (2013). Vaulting mechanics successfully predict decrease in walk-run transition speed with incline. Biology Letters, 9(2), https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2012.1121

There is an ongoing debate about the reasons underlying gait transition in terrestrial locomotion. In bipedal locomotion, the ‘compass gait’, a reductionist model of inverted pendulum walking, predicts the boundaries of speed and step length within w... Read More about Vaulting mechanics successfully predict decrease in walk-run transition speed with incline.